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Innovations in Financial Services: The Mastercard Multi-Token Network
To be safe and effective at scale, a network of any type requires rules, standards and safeguards. That was true 50 years ago, when we created a payments ecosystem where all participants benefit. This is true for open banking and national interbank networks. And we demonstrate it today for the world of digital assets and programmable payments.
Last summer we announced the Mastercard multi-token network bring a set of tools and standards to power innovative new business models across various industries by leveraging tokenized bank deposits. Now, after months of beta testing, including a first-of-its-kind beta test Innovation sprintMTN’s promise is closer to realization.
With Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, Mox Bank Limited AND Freewe are piloting pay for a tokenized form of carbon credits with tokenized deposits. Last year, we completed another pilot in Hong Kong this demonstrated MTN’s ability to settle digital asset transactions involving decentralized applications and concluded a similar project Australia. In all cases, our network standards and infrastructure have successfully enabled reliable transactions on the blockchain using tokenized deposits or central bank digital currencies.
MTN, which is built on our private, secure blockchain, combines the versatility of technology with the governance, compliance and convening power of Mastercard to create a platform for the next generation of financial applications. This unlocks more opportunities and capabilities to transact in the digital asset space with the balance in your bank account. Importantly, MTN is built on trust. To realize the full potential of blockchain technology and revolutionize cross-border and business-to-business payments, we believe it must be safe, secure and scalable.
Drawing on years of experience building network capabilities for banks, we offer them simple ways to apply this type of programmability to bank deposits. Banks do not need to operate a new blockchain ledger to participate in MTN; they can start with existing interfaces, such as cards, for simple use cases and can move to standards-based APIs to support more complex use cases.
Inspiring the next innovations in financial services
A range of app developers, including Coala Pay, Inveniam, Fresh Supply Co., Senken AND Vayanaamong others, they are already turning their attention to MTN, channeling the power of blockchain to transform everything from lending to carbon credits.
For example, the real estate transaction company Assist is moving the escrow process to the MTN blockchain, creating a transparent infrastructure for transferring funds. In any real estate sale, waiting for the paperwork to be completed can take weeks. Meanwhile, the down payment is trapped in escrow, where neither the buyer nor the seller can earn interest on it. The Coadjute app allows the buyer to hold the money in their bank account; a smart contract then automatically releases payment once the conditions are met.
Coadjute is also exploring automated earmarking – the process of setting aside money for a specific purpose – which is enabled by a blockchain system and combined with MTN rules that subject each party to earmarking conditions. This makes an almost impossible process simple, with transactions triggered automatically: no additional communication, no confusion, no delays. We have explored automated earmarking with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) e-HKD pilot program to successfully use smart contracts to ensure the quality and delivery of physical goods.
Couple point, a Vodafone company, is using MTN to enable more seamless and automated money movements to support their vision of device-to-device interactions, starting with EV charging payments. With the Politrade app, investors can finance fractions of invoices and sellers can automatically manage complex payment flows.
App developers are responsible for managing the complex business processes needed to facilitate payments, but their products are brought to life by MTN’s money movement building blocks, rules and security mechanisms. An application can connect to MTN and work immediately with every financial institution on the network. This creates a safe space for banks to explore new services.
What’s next?
In select countries, the MTN beta serves as a testbed for new payments and commerce features. As we bring more and more applications online, we are working in parallel to connect financial institutions to the network. It’s a virtuous cycle: as more banks join, MTN becomes more attractive to application providers, and as we integrate new applications, the benefits of the network increase for financial institutions and their corporate customers.
We expect this to take time, but we are committed to ensuring that from day one our network is valuable to all participants, enabling people and businesses around the world to transact digital assets with greater flexibility, efficiency and check.
News
How Ether Spot ETF Approval Could Impact Crypto Prices: CNBC Crypto World
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CNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and gives viewers a glimpse of what’s to come with high-profile interviews, explainers and unique stories from the ever-changing cryptocurrency industry. On today’s show, Ledn Chief Investment Officer John Glover weighs in on what’s driving cryptocurrency prices right now and how the potential approval of spot ether ETFs could impact markets.
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Miners’ ‘Capitulation’ Signals Bitcoin Price May Have Bottomed Out: CryptoQuant
According to CryptoQuant, blockchain data shows signs that the Bitcoin mining industry is “capitulating,” a likely precursor to Bitcoin hitting a local price bottom before reaching new highs.
CryptoQuant analyzed metrics for miners, who are responsible for securing the Bitcoin network in exchange for newly minted BTC. As outlined in the market intelligence platform’s Wednesday report, multiple signs of capitulation have emerged over the past month, during which Bitcoin’s price has fallen 13% from $68,791 to $59,603.
One such sign includes a significant drop in Bitcoin’s hash rate, the total computing power that backs Bitcoin. After hitting a record high of 623 exashashes per second (EH/s) on April 27, the hash rate has fallen 7.7% to 576 EH/s, its lowest level in four months.
“Historically, extreme hash rate drawdowns have been associated with price bottoms,” CryptoQuant wrote. In particular, the 7.7% drawdown is reminiscent of an equivalent hash rate drawdown in December 2022, when Bitcoin’s price bottomed at $16,000 before rallying over 300% over the next 15 months.
This latest hash rate drop follows Bitcoin’s fourth cyclical “halving” event in April, which cut the number of coins paid out to miners in half. According to CryptoQuant’s Miner Profit/Loss Sustainability Indicator, this has left miners “mostly extremely underpaid” since April 20, forcing many to shut down mining machines that have now become unprofitable.
CrypotoQuant said that miners faced a 63% drop in daily revenue after the halving, when both Bitcoin block rewards and transaction fee revenues were much higher.
During this time, Bitcoin miners were seen moving coins from their on-chain wallets at a faster rate than usual, indicating that they may be selling their BTC reserves“Daily miner outflows reached their highest volume since May 21,” the company wrote.
Among the sales of Bitcoin miners, whales and national governmentsBitcoin’s price drop in June also hurt Bitcoin’s “hash price,” a metric of Bitcoin Miner Profitability per unit of computing power.
“Average mining revenue per hash (hash price) continues to hover near all-time lows,” CryptoQuant wrote. “Hashprice stands at $0.049 per EH/s, just above the all-time low hashprice of $0.045 reached on May 1st.”
By Ryan-Ozawa.
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US Congressman French Hill Doubles Down on Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
US lawmaker French Hill has noted that Donald Trump will take a more pro-crypto approach than the current administration. The run-up to the presidential election has seen cryptocurrencies become an issue with lawmakers making huge statements ahead of the polls. Donald Trump has also been reaching out to the industry, making a pro-crypto case.
French Hill Backs Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
Republican Congressman French Hill has explained the type of cryptocurrency regulatory framework he believes Donald Trump could adopt in the country. In a recent interview with CNBC, French Hill said that the recently passed FIT21 bill is the type of regulatory framework the Trump administration will adopt in the sector.
#FIT21 passed the House with 71 Democratic votes, it’s exactly the kind of digital asset regulatory framework former President Trump would support if re-elected.
See more on @SquawkCNBC🔽 photo.twitter.com/ceTmU4LApU
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) July 3, 2024
THE FIT21 Bill It is intended to protect investors and consumers in the market by establishing clear rules and powers for the various regulators in the sector. According to Hill, Trump will adopt it because it directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the specific regulatory framework needed in the market.
“… for people who are innovating and starting a crypto token, a related business, custody of those assets, how to ensure consumer protection, so I think that framework is the right approach and that’s what I’m going to recommend to the President to pass, which is that we have not passed it between now and the end of this Congress.”
He also called Trump an innovative and pro-growth president in financial matters.
Cryptocurrency is going mainstream
This election cycle saw the cryptocurrency industry taking a place in mainstream issues following broader adoption across demographics. From candidates moving toward enthusiasts to recent pro-Congress legislation, cryptocurrencies have become a rallying point for officials. The U.S. regulatory landscape has been criticized for stifling growth due to frequent SEC LawsuitsThis has led executives to push for pro-cryptocurrency laws and raise money for pro-industry candidates.
Read also: Federal Reserve Predicts “AI Will Be Deflationary” to Stimulate Economy
David is a financial news contributor with 4 years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrency. He is interested in learning about emerging technologies and has an eye for breaking news. Keeping up to date with trends, David has written in several niches including regulation, partnerships, cryptocurrency, stocks, NFTs, etc. Away from the financial markets, David enjoys cycling and horseback riding.
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US Court Orders Sam Ikkurty to Pay $84 Million for Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme
A federal court has ordered Jafia LLC and its owner, Sam Ikkurty, to pay nearly $84 million to cryptocurrency investors after ruling that the company was operating a Ponzi scheme.
The ruling, issued by Judge Mary Rowland in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, follows a lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2022 after the fund collapsed.
Judge Rowland found that Ikkurty, based in Portland, Oregon, did numerous false claims on his company’s hedge funds.
These included misleading statements about his trading experience and the promise of high and stable profits. Instead, Ikkurty used funds from new investors to pay off previous investors, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.
The Ponzi Scheme
The court found that Ikkurty misappropriated investment funds for personal use without the knowledge of the investors. These funds were used for personal use and were reported as Fraudulent Investmentscausing significant financial losses to customers.
This non-transparent operation violated Transparency Commission regulations, which led to the imposition of a hefty fine to compensate defrauded investors and restore some public confidence in the financial system.
Judge Rowland emphasized that fraudulent activity such as this violates the law and undermines the integrity of modern financial markets. The $84 million award seeks to address the financial harm inflicted on investors and reinforce the importance of legal compliance in cryptocurrency trading.
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